He reminds me of a young, 1982-circa North Carolina Michael Jordan. He's not going to be as great, obviously — unless I'm wrong — but he kind of reminds you of a young colt that's just about to run his first claimer race, and you're looking at him going 'this guy could win the Kentucky Derby some day. – Fran Fraschilla on ESPN LA radio program
SALT LAKE CITY — Sure, there’s Gordon Hayward, Cavalier killer. Or Derrick Favors, the unsculpted low-post presence to anchor the Jazz defense for years to come.
It’s the lean and lanky 19-year old Dante Exum, though, that makes fans stand up from their EnergySolutions Arena seats and ponder a brighter hoops future in Salt Lake City.
“Exum is playing like someone who deserved to be drafted first overall,” ESPN’s David Thorpe said last week. “He makes hard drives and dishes for 3s or dunks. He delivers lobs. He leads fast breaks, which result in wide-open scoring chances. And, most impressively, he finds open shooters far away from the action.”
Exum exhibited a little bit of all these traits in a 98-81 win over Oklahoma City Tuesday. The Australian went 3-for-5 for nine points and five assists in 15 minutes of action.
“He’s just a good player, a good young player,” Oklahoma City Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. “He’s developing and is going to have a lot of success if he continues to work hard.”
Here’s a film study of what the newest cog to the Jazz core currently brings from off the bench.
Exum can impress on both ends of the court
The 6-foot-6 Exum brings elite athleticism and a 6-foot-10 wingspan to the court. While Jazz coach Quin Snyder usually has Exum cover the shooting guard on defense, he has the raw skills to become a lockdown man-to-man defender.
Here he takes on Reggie Jackson, who despite the Thunder’s struggles with both Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook out due to injury, has played admirably. Jackson is currently averaging 20.2 points and 7.6 assists per game. Both these are better numbers than the Jazz team leaders are putting up in points (Hayward, 18.7 ppg) or assists (Trey Burke 5.7 apg).
Not only does Exum stall the Thunder defense in this clip, he keys the Jazz transition offense. Finishing it off with the first of his three consecutive 3-pointers illustrated why fans now bring signs to home games reading, “The future is bright for Jazz Nation.”
Former Utah head coach Ty Corbin’s teams last year weren’t getting this kind of love.
Sebastian Telfair is a Coney Island concrete hoops legend, an undersized point guard known for his acumen and playmaking ability. Telfair looked overmatched every time he went up against Exum, who’s defensive footwork looks beyond solid. The opposing nine-year NBA veteran finished with four points, one rebound, and one steal.
While ESPN’s Bill Simmons called Exum a bust before he’d hardly even set foot in the northern hemisphere, I don’t think he figured Exum possessed this capability to become a lockdown defender sometime soon.
If there’s one area where the Jazz look farthest away from the NBA elite, it’s in team defense. Like his court mates, Exum’s team defense is a work in progress. The chemistry and familiarity to pick up on reads leaves Exum and company looking a little too cerebral on defense.
With Exum’s first-step explosiveness, it’s a little surprising to see him look so stiff and flat-footed on defense. Changing from Corbin’s more Memphis Grizzly-esque “Grit-n-Grind” to a more flowing basketball team wasn’t going to be without growing pains for the Jazz.
While Snyder’s motion offense demands playing with pace and playing with the pass to set-up an open look at the basket, Exum brings his own flair to the guard position. With time, look for Exum to play a larger role in facilitating the Jazz offense.
"He reminds me of a young, 1982-circa North Carolina Michael Jordan," the former college coach and now-broadcast analyst Fran Fraschilla said on the ESPN LA radio program. "He's not going to be as great, obviously — unless I'm wrong — but he kind of reminds you of a young colt that's just about to run his first claimer race, and you're looking at him going 'this guy could win the Kentucky Derby some day.'"
Interestingly, Cecil Exum, Dante’s father, played on the North Carolina Tar Heels teams of the early 1980s with Jordan.
On Tuesday the younger Exum, matched up against OKC’s shooting guard Anthony Morrow.
“He’s obviously a good talent, a young kid,” Morrow said after the game. “It looks like he’s going to have a bright future. He’s in a good system. He’s just a special kind of player, man. We’ll see how everything turns out for him, but it looks like he’ll have a good future ahead of him.”
Long range potential with the Jazz
The two biggest knocks against Exum come with his shooting and overall body strength. While strength should come with time for the teenager, the Jazz’s backcourt field-goal percentage is key to the team’s offensive efficiency.
Against OKC, Exum hit three consecutive 3-pointers in and around the end of the third quarter to help the Jazz outrun and outgun the opposition.
Asked about Exum after the game, OKC’s starting shooting guard Jeremy Lamb said, “Who dat?” before looking quizzically at a Thunder PR man nearby.
If Alec Burks, Burke, Exum, and Hayward can space the floor and hit big shots consistently from beyond the arc, NBA players from across the country just might have Exum’s name and game in mind.